The department of home affairs is investigating International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) Jerusalema faction leader Mike Sandlana after it emerged that he possesses three different identity documents. Sandlana appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday to apply for bail, and the state told the court that the department of home affairs suspects fraudulent activity may have occurred for him to obtain multiple ID numbers. The state is opposing his release on bail and has presented an affidavit by the investigating officer, Lt-Col Ludi Rolf Schnelle.
Sandlana and his spokesperson, Vusi Ndala, were arrested in November together with Pretoria high court judge Portia Phahlane, who presided over the controversial legal battle for control of the church, and her son Kagiso. He allegedly offered bribes to Phahlane in exchange for delivering a favourable judgment in a succession dispute involving him and the two Modise brothers, Leonard and Tshepiso. Schnelle said his investigations have determined that he has three identity numbers — one that indicates he was born on 1961/02/15, another on 1966/02/15, and a third with a birth date of 1969/02/28.
He said Sandlana is registered as a South African citizen, and the process of him obtaining citizenship is being investigated by home affairs. Schnelle indicated that he has a document from the Odi Correctional Centre from when Sandlana was arrested and detained for pointing an unlicensed firearm at his then wife, Miriam Mahlangu. The matter was withdrawn by the applicant’s wife, and the firearm was never recovered.
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He said when he was detained, he provided his ethnic group as Swati, and this is being investigated by the department of home affairs. Further, Schnelle said he has obtained records from home affairs, an extract from the birth register showing that a late registration of birth was made for Sandlana in 1980. “The birth register reflects that the applicant was born in Flink Zyn Drift located in Moretele, North West province. The birth register reflects that the applicant was born on 29 February 1969.” He said his investigations established that the date did not exist, as February 29 1969 was not a leap year and that February 1969 ended on the 28th.
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